FIVE people were killed in workplace accidents in Hertfordshire last year, the second highest figure in the region, figures released this week reveal.

Two of the dead were employees, and three were members of the public, says the Health ands Safety Commission.

Of 458 major non-fatal injuries in the county in 2000/2001, 259 were suffered by employees, 195 by members of the public, and four by the self-employed.

There was only one fatality the previous year, and deaths have increased across the eastern region, against the downward trend of recent years.

The construction industry accounts for 36 per cent of deaths from industrial accidents nationally, but manufacturing, agriculture and the health service also give cause for concern.

Mr Nick Martin, owner of the Aedifice surveying firm on Lower Dagnall Street that specialises in health and safety specifications for building sites, said: "There a lot of small builders who either don't understand or don't care about health and safety regulations.

"There is quite a lot of understanding of the requirements of the regulations, but people aren't taking it forward on site. A lot of subcontractors are interested in doing the job, not in their own or somebody else's safety."

November 6, 2001 10:30